


Return to Sender

by Badash248



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman: The Animated Series
Genre: Oneshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:07:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24128647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Badash248/pseuds/Badash248
Summary: All our favourite rogues are in Arkham. Jervis hasn't left his room and the girls send Jonathan to find out what's going on.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 13





	Return to Sender

"Hiya Doc!" Harley called, waving wildly from her table.

Jonathan cringed, already regretting setting foot into the common area of Arkham. He knew he couldn't ignore the blonde. Breathing in deeply he made his way to the table.

"Miss Quinn. Miss Isley." Jonathan nodded his head to the two ladies in greeting.

"Always the polite one ain't ya Doc." Harley poked his side.

"Harley, was there a reason for calling me over here?" Jonathan sighed, the muscle in his jaw twitching.

"Course Doc." She tilted her head. "Its Jervis. He hasn't come outta his room all day! And when I was walkin' by I could hear loud music playin'." Harley looked around her, lowering her voice to almost a whisper.

"And?"

"And! You're a psychologist! Not ta mention Jervies ya friend. I was thinkin' ya ought ta go see him. Pick his brain. See what's made the mock turtle hide in his shell."

"Are you not also a psychol..." he began to object. Ivy cutting him off.

"Plus, you're a guy Jonathan. Jervis needs a man to man talk."

Jonathan blinked at the two women sitting in front of him. Upon receiving hardened glares from them, he raised his hands in surrender.

"Sure. I'll go...and... see to Jervis."

Harleys glare was immediately replaced with a goofy grin. "Go get 'em Doc!" She punched his arm.

Walking down the hallway Jonathan counted the doors until he stood in front of Jervis' cell. He raised his hand to knock but the muffled sound of piano instrumental and the melancholy tone of a female passionately singing, met him. Perplexed, he knocked cautiously.

Silence excepting the singing, which continued.

He knocked again, slightly louder. "Jervis?"

Nothing.

Jonathan sighed. "Jervis?... Its Jon.... Jervis the others are worried.." This was ridiculous, he was talking to a door! "Jervis I'm coming in."

His warning given, Jonathan opened the door. _T_ _his was not what I was expecting. What the hell is this?_

Stepping in to the room, he surveyed the scene before him. Jervis. Laying face down on his bed. In a mountain of pillows. Sobbing uncontrollably. The music even louder now that Jonathan was actually in the room. _Where did he even get all these pillows. Those aren't Arkham issued._

"Jervis. What-what's going on buddy? Jonathan stood by the door. Afraid to venture any further.

Jervis lifted his face up from the pillows. Eyes puffy and face splotchy. "I-I-I. She-e-ee! Wahhh!" He spluttered then wailed. Turning his face into the pillows he continued mumbling. His shoulders trembling and head shaking back and forth.

"Wha- Jerv I- oh for crying out loud! I can't understand a word you're saying with this racket!" Jonathan growled, storming over to the music player and cranking the volume down to zero. "There! Now. Mind telling me what this is all about?" He gestured broadly in his sobbing direction.

Jervis breathed deeply and turned his face towards Jonathan. "Would not, could not... Join the dance... would not, could not, would not.." He turned his face back into the pillows still mumbling.

"Wha-" breathe Jonathan, breathe "Jervis. Look at me. Now is not the time to return to Wonderland."

Jervis stopped mumbling, slowly turning his face back to Jonathan. He made a soft whimpering sound.

"Do you want to talk about what happened Jervis?"

Jervis stared at Jonathan for a while. Glassy eyed and seeing past him. Before finally lifting himself up into a sitting position. Clutching a pillow to his chest, he took a shaky breath. Focusing in on Jonathan, Jervis patted the spot of the bed beside him.

Jonathan sighed and made his way to the edge of the bed. Slowly, he sat down beside Jervis.

"Y'see Jon..." Jervis sniffled. Wiping his nose with the back of his hand. "It-it-I. It's Alice."

Jonathan blinked. "Alice... I wasn't aware you and her were..." he trailed off. Watching as Jervis' face scrunched up again, bottom lip trembling.

"Two weeks! That's how long I've been here. Two weeks we-we've been-been a-apart. Oh if you could have only seen her Jon. She looked perfect! I-I set up a-a pic-picnic in the park. It wa-was her unbirthday after all." He clutched the pillow tighter, staring off again.

"We simply simply had to celebrate!!" He sobbed into the pillow.

Jonathan was at a loss as to how to proceed. He's seen his share of tears and blubbering. All from fearful subjects and experiments. But tears from... heartache! He's a professor not a couple's counselor! He settled for placing his hand on top of Jervis' sweaty head.

Jervis continued mumbling into the pillow. His words becoming muffled and muddled. Jonathan was about to tell him off about mumbling into the pillow, when Jervis shot his head up and glared at Jonathan.

"And then he came and had to ruin everything!" He grumbled darkly. "Oh the brute! No manners! He scared her off and now here I am. I-I tri-tried..." The dark look was replaced with tears running down his face. Reaching underneath his pile of pillows, he produced a crumpled, tear-stained envelope.

Jonathan took it from his shaking hand and turned it over to inspect the front. It was addressed to Alice. **RETURN TO SENDER** was written in bold red letters. Ah. Its starting to make sense to Jonathan. Jervis was always so... fragile after a run-in with the bat and a failed rendezvous with whichever Alice he was trying to reconcile with. He shook the pudgy envelope, trying to ascertain its contents.

"What is it you were sending her Jervis?"

"Con-confections. She did-didn't get to have any at-at the park. I-I-I baked-baked them spe-special for her." Jervis took a shaky breath. His fingers white from his grip on the pillow.

"Hm." Jonathan grunted, trying to think of a way to let Jervis down easy. "Well you know as well as I do that the poor girl probably changed apartments after her run in with the Batman."

"Really!" Jervis looked up at him, hopeful eyes shining with unshed tears.

"Of course. It's ah... only natural to want to distance yourself from any unpleasant memories. Of Batman. That is..." Jonathan knew he had to be careful. Jervis' mind was delicate in this state. Any misspoken word taken the wrong way would only end badly for both of them.

"Of course! She's so innocent that she wouldn't want to be reminded of any dark things. Too pure! I must go to her at once!" Jervis concluded dreamily.

Moving to get up, Jonathan yanked him back down on the bed. "Don't be too hasty Jervis boy. Let the girl settle in to her new abode before you go wooing her."

"Right you are. Right you are. ... But. What am I to do while she settles?" Jervis laced and unlaced his hands.

_At least he's not crying anymore._ Jonathan thought to himself. "Well... I think first thing to do is get out of the stuffy room. How about we go make a nice cup of tea to calm yourself." Jonathan put an arm around Jervis' shoulder. Slowly standing up, bringing the broken man with him.

"Yes. Tea... Tea sounds good." Jervis sniffled, eyes downcast.

"Tea is said to cure a multitude of ills. And it can be quite a comfort." Jonathan pushed Jervis forward, ushering him out the door.

As he walked past the forgotten music player, Jonathan quickly swiped it off the table and pocketed it. Didn't need Jervis relapsing into whatever depressing music he had on the thing.

"I even overheard Miss Isley talking about planting some white Rose's in the Arkham gardens.... Perhaps they could use a touch of red hmm?" Jonathan offered with a mischievous gleam in his eye.

**Author's Note:**

> I definitely didn't write this imagining Jervis listening to My Immortal by Evanescence. XD You can use whatever depressing love song you want, but for me and Jervis it will always be... My Immortal. #sorry not sorry


End file.
